Aaron Sandilands
Encyclopedia
Aaron Sandilands is an Australian rules football
er. At 211 cm (6' 11") tall and weighing 122 kg (270 lbs), he is the heaviest and equal tallest player in the history of the game. Sandilands plays as a ruckman
for the Fremantle Football Club
.
in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
, Sandilands was selected by Fremantle in the rookie draft prior to the 2002 season. He spent the entire 2002 year playing for East Fremantle
in the WAFL
, before being elevated to the senior list prior to the 2003 season.
Playing in 19 games in his first season, the highlights were being nominated for the AFL Rising Star and earning a Brownlow Medal
vote for a dominant display against the reigning premiers, Brisbane Lions
in Round 14 and playing in Fremantle's first ever finals match. Despite Essendon being convincing winners, Sandilands was one of the few to perform well, with 41 hitouts.
As ruckmen are generally considered to peak in their late 20s, Sandilands has impressed many to rank 6th or 5th in total hitouts in each of his first three seasons in the AFL, improving to 2nd (with the highest average) in 2006. Despite this dominance in hitouts, it does not always result in Fremantle winning the clearances.
In 2006 Sandilands suffered a broken jaw in the round 6 Western Derby
in a clash with then West Coast Eagles
ruckman Mark Seaby
(now Sydney Swans
). Following an investigation by the AFL, no charges were laid over the incident.
Sandilands has been named in the All-Australian Team
three times, on the interchange bench in 2008 and as the only ruckman in the 2009 team. and as the key ruckman in 2010.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er. At 211 cm (6' 11") tall and weighing 122 kg (270 lbs), he is the heaviest and equal tallest player in the history of the game. Sandilands plays as a ruckman
Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
for the Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
.
Fremantle career
Originally from the small town of Mount BarkerMount Barker, Western Australia
Mount Barker is a town on the Albany Highway and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia...
in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
Great Southern region of Western Australia
The Great Southern region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is a section of the larger South Coast of Western Australia and neighbouring agricultural regions....
, Sandilands was selected by Fremantle in the rookie draft prior to the 2002 season. He spent the entire 2002 year playing for East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
in the WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
, before being elevated to the senior list prior to the 2003 season.
Playing in 19 games in his first season, the highlights were being nominated for the AFL Rising Star and earning a Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
vote for a dominant display against the reigning premiers, Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
in Round 14 and playing in Fremantle's first ever finals match. Despite Essendon being convincing winners, Sandilands was one of the few to perform well, with 41 hitouts.
As ruckmen are generally considered to peak in their late 20s, Sandilands has impressed many to rank 6th or 5th in total hitouts in each of his first three seasons in the AFL, improving to 2nd (with the highest average) in 2006. Despite this dominance in hitouts, it does not always result in Fremantle winning the clearances.
In 2006 Sandilands suffered a broken jaw in the round 6 Western Derby
Western Derby
The Western Derby is the name given to the Australian rules football rivalry match between the Fremantle Football Club and West Coast Eagles, who both participate in the Australian Football League . As both teams are based in Western Australia, the term 'derby' is used to describe the...
in a clash with then West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
ruckman Mark Seaby
Mark Seaby
Mark Seaby is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League.He is best known as a former premiership player with the West Coast Eagles.-Biography:...
(now Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
). Following an investigation by the AFL, no charges were laid over the incident.
Sandilands has been named in the All-Australian Team
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
three times, on the interchange bench in 2008 and as the only ruckman in the 2009 team. and as the key ruckman in 2010.